Nikkhil Advani is one of the four executive producers behind debutant director, Karan Tejpal’s Stolen. The film, which was recently released on the OTT platform, Amazon Prime Videos, has become the talk of the town. Nikkhil, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, and Kiran Rao came together to lend their weight to the film, which stars Abhishek Banerjee, and the film has been keeping the audience on the edge of their seats.
Nikkhil Advani on the broken trust between filmmakers and Indian audience
Stolen was released on Amazon Prime Videos on June 4, 2025; ahead of that, the filmmaker Nikkhil Advani spoke to Hindustan Times about the film and the state of film distribution in India. The film follows the time-honoured tradition of getting ‘big names’ as executive producers for small, independent films to ensure they have visibility. However, Nikkhil has a different view on it as he believes that the Utopian goal would be not to be in such a situation.
During the conversation, Nikkhil Advani revealed that a massive achievement for Stolen would be not to be known by the names that have backed the film up. He added that the Indian audience at the moment doesn’t trust the filmmakers. He further citied that this was because most of the reviews are paid, which has built a veil of distrust among them. He was quoted as saying:
“A big point to celebrate will be that a film like Stolen doesn’t need us. Who are we? We are just putting our muscle or credibility behind this film. I think there is a complete distrust right now between the audience and the filmmaker. Basically, the audience is saying, ‘Whatever you say, we don’t trust you. Reviews are paid, and everything is bought.’ We are just trying to say, ‘Trust us!’ At the end of the day, there is a certain quality we are known for.”
The filmmaker, Nikkhil Advani is known for his films like Kal Ho Naa Ho, D-Day, and Batla House, which lauds the contemporary audience for being well-informed. However, being informed has also made them choosier about what they want to watch. Nikkhil commented on this during his interview; the filmmaker stated that the audience had a lot of information thanks to social media.
Nikkhil Advani on winning back the audiences’ trust
In the same conversation, Nikkhil admitted that since the COVID-19 pandemic, Bollywood has seen a decline in revenue and success rate in the theatres. However, Nikkhil is quick to note how, on the other hand, the comedy clubs and live shows have seen a massive rise. He further acknowledged that they need to win back the audiences’ trust and was quoted as saying:
“The same audience is spending money in comedy clubs and live shows. Vir Das told me earlier he used to do India tours in 6 cities. Now, he does 60 cities. The implication is simple: the audiences need to be won back, and that is possible only by listening to them.”
Nikkhil Advani talks about the divide between commercial and independent cinema
In the same conversation, Nikkhil Advani talked about the separation between independent and commercial cinema. He added that the difference has existed in the Indian film industry for decades. Further elaborating on it, Nikkhil shared that for years, independent films were called parallel cinema. However, multiplex films came into being, and today, they are referred to as ‘festival films’. He was quoted as saying:
“The choices are becoming smaller. The demand to conform to the formula is getting much higher. When you want to disrupt and do something off the beaten track, you really have to do something that is marketable, whether that is the cast, the director, or the producer. But, I am very hopeful that it will turn. It has to. A good quality film will find its audience.”
What are your thoughts on Nikkhil Advani’s revelations? Let us know.
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